A Cubone's Heart
by RedPandaPrincess
Summary: A story I wrote for my nephew, who is 8 A young boy named Emmett received his first Pokémon and begins his adventure. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**A Cubone's Heart**

**Chapter 1**

**The Beginning**

It was early the morning of February 13th. The sun had barely risen and Emmett was already out of bed and headed into the forest. He couldn't go very far on his own... but today that would change. Today was the day he turned 10 years old. Today he could get his very first Pokemon!

He had been thinking about it for weeks. Months, really. At noon today he would meet with Professor Ash and choose his very own Pokemon. The traditional starter Pokemon for the region where he lived were Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. He could only choose one and it was a decision he did no take lightly.

Squirtle was a water-type Pokemon. A tiny turtle that could learn a variety of attacks including water gun and surf. It would be nice to have a water-type – you could use them to cross large bodies of water.

Bulbasaur was a grass type. His aunt, Kaye, had a Bulbasaur. Ideally they were supposed to evolve into Venosaur, an enormous dinosaur with a flower on its back. But Kaye's never evolved, despite being a high enough level. Kaye said it was because Bulbasaur did not want to. Emmett thought it might be interesting to see if he could raise one to its full potential.

In the end, however, he was certain that he wanted to try and get a Charmander. The little fire lizard Pokemon would eventually evolve into Charizard, a giant fire-breathing dragon, _that could fly. _

Feeling confident in his decision, Emmett strolled into the forest, too excited to sleep. He headed for one of his favorite spots, a large oak tree. A pidgeotto had build a nest there several months ago and laid eggs. The baby pidgeys had hatched and he had been spying on them nearly every day from a nearby tree. He liked watching the mother feed her babies.

This morning the Pidgeotto was gone, off hunting for worms, no doubt. He could see two of the little pidgeys sleeping peacefully. The third was awake and chirping hungrily. Emmett watched and after a few minutes, the little pidgey stepped to the edge of its nest, flapped its little wings, and took flight.

He'd watched them several days ago when they first started learning to fly. This pidgey was the only one who had the stamina to fly more than a few feet. It flew around the nest, squawking angrily. The other two pidgeys woke up and began to chirp as well.

The mother Pidgeotto soon returned and Emmett watched as she fed her babies and settled them down. Eventually he climbed down from his own tree and headed for home. He could at least eat a good brunch before going to see Professor Ash.

Emmett and his aunt Kaye lived in Pallet Town on the outskirts of the city, in a cabin just inside the forest. IT was just the two of them, as well as Kaye' Pokemon. They lived on the edge of the forest so Kaye could gather plants and herbs to make herbal remedies to heal others' Pokemon.

There was no Pokemon Center in Pallet Town, so the town's Pokemon, as well as any trainers passing through, were pretty dependent on her herbal remedies.

As Emmett approached the cabin, he saw his aunt's Treecko leaning against the door frame, chewing on a twig.

"There you are. Your aunt's been wondering where you were," Treecko said.

Most Pokemon could not talk, but Kaye's Treecko was special.

"I was just out for a walk. Where is she?" Emmett asked.

"In the garden."

Emmett walked out back to see his aunt digging in a flower bed, preparing to plant some new herbs. Bulbasaur was nearby, carrying a watering pail with its vines and watering some mint plants.

"Saur," Bulbasaur said in greeting.

"Hey Bulbasaur, hey Kaye," Emmett said. "What are you doing?"

"Hey kid! Where have you been?" Kaye asked.

"Just out for a walk. What are you planting?"

"Catnip. It's a type of mint. You can make a tea from it that has a calming effect. Works on people and rowdy Pokemon. Have you gotten your Pokemon yet?"

"No, not until noon."

"Oh. Well in that case, let me go fix us some brunch."

Kaye stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans. Emmett followed her into the house. Kaye washed her hands at the sink, then set about making a meal for them all.

Emmett sat on the couch in the living room next to his aunt's sleeping Vulpix.

"So, have you decided which Pokemon you want?" Kaye asked as she cracked eggs into a frying pan.

"I'm thinking Charmander," he replied, petting Vulpix. "I've always liked fire type Pokemon..."

Vulpix yawned sleepily and crawled into his lap.

"Vulpix, Vul," the Vulpix said sleepily.

"Charmander's cute," his aunt said with an approving nod.

"Aw Kaye, I'm not getting it cuz it's cute – I'm getting it because it's strong!" he declared.

"All Pokemon have their own strengths, Andrew Joseph," Kaye said, welding a spatula at him. "Haven't I taught you anything?"

"Yes ma'am," he said, suppressing an eye roll.

After a good brunch of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, Emmett left the cabin and started towards Professor Ash's lab.

"Good luck! Be sure to come back and show me your new Charmander!" Kaye called from the door of the cabin, waving goodbye.

"Good luck!" Treecko repeated, hopping onto Kaye's shoulder.

Emmett arrived at Ash's lab in high spirits. He was right on time. He knocked on the door and was led in by an assistant in a white lab coat.

Professor Ash was sitting at a desk, frowning at something under a microscope when Emmett entered.

"Professor Ash?"

The gray-haired old man looked up from his microscope.

"Huh? Oh hello Emmett. What brings you here?"

"I'm here for my charmander! Today's the day I turned 10," Emmett said excitedly.

"Oh so you want a charmander do you? Well I'm afraid I don't have any left at the moment..."

"Oh no!" Emmett cried as his dreams of flying through the skies atop a flaming Charizard disappearing before his eyes.

"Don't worry Emmett. I have a special Pokemon set aside for you..."

"A special Pokemon? What is it?" Emmett asked curiously. Professor Ash stood and walked over to a table. A single pokeball sat on top of it.

"I think this is the right Pokemon for you," Ash said, handing him the Pokeball. Curious, Emmett pressed the button on the pokeball. A beam of red light shot out and a Pokemon appeared.

It was small – barely a foot tall – and orange. It's head was covered by a skull, hiding its face, and it carried a bone in one hand.

"This is Cubone," Ash announced.

"Cubone...it's not very big," Emmett said doubtfully. The Pokemon moved in a flash and hit Emmett in the shin with its bone weapon. He cried out in pain and the Pokemon turned its back on him.

"Cubone may not look like much Emmett, but it has great potential. It _is _young. It needs a good trainer to help raise it and care for it. Its mother died, you see, when Cubone was just a baby. That's why I thought it would make a good Pokemon for you."

"Oh," Emmett said stiffly. He did not like talking about his mother.

"So you'll take him?" Ash asked.

"I guess," Emmett said. It didn't seem like he really had any other choice.

"Alright! Now, you'll also need a Pokedex – it's got information about every known Pokemon and it's also your ID since it's registered to you. And here are 5 pokeballs to get you started. You can buy more at the market in Viridian City. Try to catch as many Pokemon as you can."

"I will. Thank you Professor. Come on, Cubone, back in your pokeball," Emmett said.

The Pokemon scoffed and shook its head. Emmett knew that not _all _Pokemon liked being in pokeballs. Ash's Pikachu and Kaye's Treecko both hated being confined.

"Hm, well, that's alright too I guess. Come on, then."

Emmett was halfway out the door before he realized Cubone wasn't following him. He walked back over to it.

"What's the matter? You're _my _Pokemon now, that means you are supposed to follow me."

Cubone lifted its arms, like a toddler wanting to be picked up.

"You have _got _to be kidding me!" Emmett exclaimed, looking at Ash. Ash just shrugged.

"Grr...fine. Come on then, you big baby," Emmett said, picking up the Pokemon. It was surprisingly light. Cubone conked him on the head with its bone and he almost dropped it.

"Cut it out!" he said, annoyed.

Emmett headed back home, carrying Cubone on his hip like a toddler. He wondered what his aunt would think of Ash's choice for him.

"Well look who it is!" a voice said. He looked up to see a girl blocking his path. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a skirt and tank top, with a belt around the skirt where _two pokeballs _hung. It was Klaudia Ketchum, Professor Ash's niece. Emmett and Klaudia used to play together when they were kids, before Emmett started school. Klaudia was home schooled.

"What're you doing hauling that thing around – it's almost as big as you are! Which I guess isn't saying much," Klaudia teased.

Emmett set Cubone down and the Pokemon immediately hid behind his legs.

"I just got it from Professor Ash. He wants me to raise it.." Emmett muttered, wishing the Cubone would stop acting like a scaredy cat.

"Your first Pokemon, eh? I got mine _weeks _ago. I even caught my first Pokemon already – it's only a Rattata but still."

"What did you get for your first Pokemon?' he asked curiously.

"See for yourself. Come on out, Manda," Klaudia said, tossing a pokeball into the air. A flash of red light and there appeared -

"A charmander!" Emmett exclaimed enviously. "No fair..."

"Let me guess, you wanted a charmander? Of course you did. Manda is the greatest!"

"Yeah..."

"Well, them's the breaks kid. Guess that makes us rivals. You better get a move on, because I'm already way ahead of you! I'd challenge you to a battle, but your Cubone looks like it might wet itself!" Klaudia said. She walked away, laughing, her charmander following obediently.

"Hmph," Emmett said to himself. He hoisted Cubone back on his hip and continued towards home.

"I wish she wouldn't make fun of me for being small. We're the same age, for crying out loud! Course it doesn't help that she's almost a foot taller than me," Emmett grumbled as he walked. He glanced at Cubone, but it didn't say anything, merely regarded him silently from the darkness of it's skull.

His aunt was back in the garden again when Emmett returned. She stopped digging and stood when he approached.

"A Cubone!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Well that's certainly different."

Emmett set the Pokemon down and it immediately hid behind him again.

"Aww, aren't you a cutie!" his aunt crooned, crouching down in front of him to talk to the Cubone. "Come on out now. I'm not gonna hurt you..."

"It's kind of..." Emmett began but stopped because he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence without being mean.

"Oh it's just a little timid in nature, like my seel. It just takes a little coaxing..."

Kaye reached into her pocket and pulled out several berries. She offered pine to Cubone and it peeked around his legs warily. It sniffed the berry, then took it and shoved it under its skull to its hidden mouth to eat.

"Bone!" the Pokemon cried, seeming to enjoy the berries. Kaye sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Come have some more," she said gently and Cubone tottered over to her.

"Cubone is a really good Pokemon," Kaye said, looking up at him.

"I don't know much about it," Emmett admitted. He pulled out his new pokedex to see what it had to tell him about his Pokemon.

"Cubone, a ground-type Pokemon," said the pokedex in a mechanical voice. "Cubone is known as the lonely Pokemon. It wears the skull of its deceased mother. Because it never removes its skull helmet, no one has ever seen this Pokemon's face."

"It wears the skull of its dead mother? That's morbid," Emmett said, wrinkling his nose.

"How sad!" Kaye exclaimed, kissing Cubone on top of its head while it ate berries from her hand. Emmett rolled his eyes and scrolled through the pokedex, reading about Cubone's moves.

"So are you going to leave today or wait until morning?" Kaye asked.

"Today. I figure I can try and make it to Viridian City before dark."

"Seems feasible," she said, nodding. "I packed your backpack. There's some clean clothes, food, a sleeping bag and a first aid kit."

"Thanks."

"I have something else for you as well. Come inside."

Emmett and Cubone followed Kaye back into the living room. She handed him his backpack, which was sitting on the table.

"Thanks," he said, slinging it over his shoulder.

"One more thing," she said, pulling something out of her pocket. "This is for you."

"A necklace?" he said skeptically.

"Yes. The stone is tiger's eye. It's for protection. I have one for Cubone, too."

Emmett fastened his own necklace around his neck while Kaye knelt and fastened an identical one around Cubone's neck. The Pokemon examined the small stone, then put it under its skull and gnawed it before letting it fall.

"Well...thanks," Emmett said. Kaye stepped over to hug him.

"You be careful out there. And call me every time you reach a Pokemon Center. If I don't hear from you, I _will _come find you," she said.

"Okay, okay! Jeez. I'll call you as soon as I get to Viridian City," he promised.

"Good," she said. "Have fun and be safe. I love you."

"Love you too, Kaye. Bye."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Catching a Pokemon**

Emmett did not hesitate. He headed straight into the forest. Soon he was passing the tree where he had spied on the pidgeotto and her babies. As he passed under the tree he looked up and saw the baby that could fly circling the tree.

"If it's old enough to fly, that means we can try to catch it," Emmett said to Cubone. Cubone just stared at him.

"Hey pidgey!" Emmett called up to the bird. "Come battle!"

The flying Pokemon looked down at him, then glided down to a nearby tree branch. It cooed at him.

"Uh...okay Cubone. It's time for our first Pokemon battle. Use bone club," Emmett told him, pointing to the pidgey. Cubone looked down at his weapon then back at Emmett, seeming confused.

"Uh...okay how about tail whip?" Emmett said.

Cubone looked at pidgey. The little bird flapped it's wings and Cubone ran to hide behind Emmett.

"Oh come on!" Emmett exclaimed, annoyed. "It didn't even touch you!"

Cubone said nothing, it's face buried in Emmett's jeans.

Emmett sighed. The pidgey was still sitting on the tree branch, watching him curiously. Emmett thought to himself. He could remember his aunt telling him about catching Treecko, how it had gone into the Pokeball willingly when she rescued it from Team Rocket. Team Rocket was a group of villains from a long time ago, who weren't around anymore.

"It's worth a try," Emmett decided, pulling out a pokeball from his backpack. He threw the pokeball towards the pidgey. It bounced off the tree branch and captured the bird in a ball of red light. The pidgey went inside the pokeball. It shook for a moment, then the ball lay still.

"Hey...I did it!" Emmett said, growing excited. He ran to pick up the pokeball.

"I caught my first Pokemon," he said happily, holding the Pokemon in the air. He noticed Cubone clapping its hands in delight.

"What are you excited for?" Emmett asked. "You were no help."

This didn't seem to bother Cubone though. The Pokemon was still excited for him.

As they continued their walk through the forest, Emmett let Pidgey out of its pokeball to fly alongside them. He knew the bird was still young and needed to build up the strength in its wings.

It wasn't much longer before something jumped out of the grass at them. It was a Rattata! It charged Cubone and bit the Pokemon on the leg. Cubone let out a wail and whacked the Rattata on top of the head with its bone club. The purple rat stepped back, dazed.

"Good job Cubone!" Emmett said, surprised and delighted. "Hit it again!"

Cubone hit the Rattata again upside the head. The rat scurried back into the tall grass and disappeared from sight.

"That was really great Cubone," Emmett said to his Pokemon, feeling even prouder than when he had caught the pidgey.

Cubone looked down at its leg, which had a little spot of blood on it, and began to wail loudly. It sat on the ground, crying and beating its bone club on the ground. Emmett was startled.

"Hey!" he said. "It's going to be okay, it's just a little bite."

He tried to approach Cubone but the Pokemon hit him with its club as soon as he got close enough.

"Ow!" Emmett said, jumping back. "Stop that!"

The Pokemon was still crying and Emmett was starting to grow annoyed.

"Cubone!" he said. "If you don't stop that right now I am going to take you back to Professor Ash and me and Pidgey will go on this journey by ourselves!"

Cubone immediately stopped wailing. It stood up from its tantrum, sniffling.

"Good. Are you ready to go?" he asked the Pokemon.

"Cu," the Pokemon said quietly.

Maybe an hour passed before they saw another Pokemon. This time it was a caterpie, hanging from a nearby tree. Pidgey took care of it before Emmett could even give a command. He pecked the caterpillar Pokemon down from its tree. Emmett thought about catching it but he didn't really want caterpie...or any of its evolutions. Butterfree was a girly Pokemon.

Emmett was just beginning to wonder how far the city really was when they came across another trainer. It was a boy and he had a net in one hand. He was crouched in the grasses and jumped up when Emmett approached.

"Hey you! Are you here to steal my bug Pokemon?" the boy demanded.

"What? No. I'm a Pokemon trainer, on my way to Viridian City," Emmett said.

"Oh. In that case, how about a battle? My name is Mike and I'm a bug catcher. I have a kakuna," the boy bragged.

"I'd love a battle," Emmett said. He looked between his two Pokemon and decided Cubone was not reliable enough. He chose Pidgey for the battle. Mike pulled out a pokeball and sent out a kakuna.

"Okay pidgey, use peck!" Emmett commanded. Pidgey flew down to peck the kakuna, but before he reached it Mike told it to harden. The Kakuna hardened just as Pidgey's beak hit it. Pidgey squawked in pain and flew back to Emmett's side.

"It's okay, Pidgey, try one more time," he said. Emmett realized he did not know any of Pidgey's other attacks. He hadn't checked it with his pokedex.

They were stuck in battle like that for over five minutes, with pidgey trying to peck and Kakuna getting harder every time. Cubone was watching from the sidelines, cheering for Pidgey and beating its bone club on the ground.

Pidgey was starting to look exhausted and Emmett knew the bird Pokemon didn't have much left in it.

"Can I switch Pokemon?" he asked Mike.

"Sure," the boy said. "Nothing can get past Kakuna's hard shell."

Emmett recalled Pidgey to its pokeball to let it rest.

"Cubone, can you do it?" he asked his Pokemon. The Bone Pokemon stood and nodded confidently.

"Bone," it said as it approached the Kakuna.

"Alright, Cubone, let's do it! Use bone club!" Emmett cried, his heart pounding in excitement.

Cubone ran at the Kakuna and bashed it with its bone club. The kakuna wobbled, then fell over, knocked out.

"What?!" Mike cried, shocked. "Kakuna is impenetrable! Your Cubone must be strong!"

"Great job Cubone!" Emmett said, kneeling to hug his pokemon. "You were amazing!"

Cubone said nothing but Emmett thought under its skull helmet, it looked proud of itself. Mike paid Emmett for winning the match then Emmett and Cubone continued on their way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**A wounded Pokemon**

They were almost to the edge of the forest when Emmett noticed Cubone was limping and had fallen behind. He went back to it and saw that the leg the Rattata had bitten was swollen.

"Oh no," Emmett said, kneeling beside Cubone to look at its leg. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Cubone," the Cubone said quietly. Emmett remembered yelling at the pokemon for crying.

"I'm sorry," Emmett said guiltily. "Come on, let's get you out of the forest and to the pokemon center."

He went to pick the Cubone up but the pokemon turned its back on him.

"Come on Cubone," he said. "You can't walk any farther on that. Let me carry you."

"Bone," it said accusingly.

"I said I was sorry," Emmett said. "Let me help you."

Finally the Cubone turned back to him and allowed Emmett to pick it up. Emmett knew they were close to the edge of the forest, they'd passed a sign a short ways back. He continued on, carrying his Cubone like a baby.

Several trainers jumped out at him as he rushed towards the exit.

"I can't battle now, my Pokemon is wounded!" he called as he past them. "We need to get to Viridian City."

No one deterred him. The sun was setting as they left the darkness of the trees and came out into a small city, lit by street lamps. He saw the glowing red roof of the Pokemon Center and ran inside, brushing past people. He ran to the desk where Nurse Joy stood.

"Please, Nurse Joy, you have to help my Pokemon! It's an emergency!" he said.

"An emergency! What's wrong with it?" Joy asked.

"A Rattata bit its leg and now its all swollen...Cubone can barely walk!"

"A Rattata bite, is that all? Don't worry, we deal with wounds like this all the time," she said, taking Cubone from him. She set the pokemon up on the counter and sprayed something on its leg. The swelling went down almost immediately. Then she gave it a potion and Cubone looked totally better.

"All this Cubone needs now it a good nights rest," Joy said. "I'm surprised you didn't just heal it yourself. Aren't you Kaye's boy?"

"Her nephew, yes. My name's Emmett."

"Well I know your aunt, Emmett, and I'd think that you should know when to use a Pecha Berry!"

"A Pecha Berry," Emmett said, looking down at the recovered Cubone. "I didn't think about that."

"You'd do well to remember your aunt's lessons, Emmett. Next time you find yourself or your pokemon injured in the woods, take a minute to think about it. You did good getting your Pokemon to us straight away, but what if you had gotten lost? The longer you wait with these sort of poisonings, the worse it can be. Now, will you be staying here tonight?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good," she said, and handed him a key. "This is your room key. It will also allow you access to the pokemon center after ten o'clock, if you decide to go outside, though I don't recommend running around after dark. Your Cubone needs rest."

"Thanks. Do you have a phone I can call my aunt from?" Emmett asked.

"There's one in your room," the nurse replied. "Dinner will be served in the dining room in just a few minutes."

"Thanks," he said.

Emmett went down the hall leading to the rooms. His key had a number four on it so he went to room 4 and opened the door. It was a small room with a bunk bed. Emmett tossed his backpack on the top bunk.

"Cubone, why don't you get some rest," he said and the pokemon flopped down onto the bottom bunk. Emmett sat at the phone to call his aunt.

His conversation with Kaye was brief. He told her about his trip through the forest and about catching pidgey. He left out the part about Cubone getting poisoned. He realized how hungry he was once he'd sat down so he got off the phone quickly. Cubone had fallen asleep so he left the weary pokemon in his room and went to find the dining room.

It was easy to find. It was where all the noise was coming from. The room was full of people and their pokemon, eating and chatting loudly. The pokemon interested him more than the people did. He saw a few Squirtle, a Pikachu, several bug pokemon, and a Marill. He noticed no one else had a Cubone.

He got a tray of food from a window leading into the kitchen, then found a place to sit. He ate quietly, though he listened to the conversation of some boys near him as they talked about battling a girl with a charmander.

"Her charmander was so strong, she beat my Pidgeotto in one hit!" one boy was saying.

"She knocked my Marril out and that's a water-type!" the other boy exclaimed. "She must be super-strong."

To himself Emmett wondered if they were talking about Klaudia. But they could be talking about any girl with a charmander. Plenty of people picked the fire-type as their starter pokemon. Surely Klaudia couldn't be that strong. Her charmander couldn't really be strong enough to fight a water-type...could it? She'd only had it a few weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Making a friend**

"Where's your Pokemon?" a voice asked. Emmett looked up to see a boy his size standing there.

"Uh, back in my room," Emmett said as the boy sat down across from him.

"You should let it come eat and socialize with other pokemon," the boy advised.

"It got bitten by a Rattata," Emmett admitted. "Nurse Joy said it needed the rest."

"Ah. Didn't have an antidote on you?" the boy asked.

"No. I just started my journey today. I was going to stock up at the Poke Mart when I got to town."

"The Poke Mart is closed now," the boy said. "They open at 7 in the morning. What kind of Pokemon do you have?"

"A Cubone."

"A Cubone, huh? That's not a traditional starter."

"No. Professor Ash chose him for me specifically," Emmett said, feeling somewhat embarassed.

"Really? Why's that?"

"I dunno," Emmett said awkwardly. "He just said he needed somebody to raise it."

"Oh. Well that's kind of cool. My name is Riley by the way. What's yours?"

"I'm Emmett," he said, shaking hands with the boy. "What kind of Pokemon do you have?"

"I have an Eevee," Riley said.

"Well that's not a traditional starter either," Emmett pointed out.

"I know. My mom's an Eevee trainer – she has all the evolutions of Eevee from all the regions. She gave me my first pokemon, even though I'm only 9."

"I thought you had to be 10 to be a pokemon trainer?" Emmett said, confused.

"You do. Technically, I'm not a Pokemon trainer."

"So you don't have a pokedex?"

"I have one. Professor Ash gave me one so I can study Pokemon on my journey. I know a lot about Pokemon, you see. Professor Ash gave me a test when I was 7 years old – he said I have an IQ of over 200."

"Wow," Emmett said. "So you know everything about Pokemon?"

"Well I'm learning. I can even edit the pokedex," Riley boasted.

"Oh yeah?" Emmett challenged. "Tell me something about Cubone that I don't know."

"Cubone is a ground-type Pokemon. They generally weigh about 14.3 pounds and are about 1 foot tall. It evolves into Marowak at level 28. Their abilities are Lightning Rod and Rock Head. Moves it learns naturally are Growl, Tail Whip, Bone Club, Headbutt, Leer, Focus Energy, Bonemerang, Rage, False Swipe, Thrash, Fling, Bone Rush, Endeavor, Double-Edge and Retaliate. It can learn the HM Strength. Need I go on?"

"No," Emmett said with a laugh. "What are Lightning Rod and Rock Head?"

"Lightning Rod summons all the energy from an electric-type attack onto Cubone and channels it into the ground without dealing any damage to Cubone and even raising its Special Attack. And Rock Head protects a Pokemon from being hit by a recoil."

"That's awesome! I didn't know Cubone couild do that," Emmett said. "What about Eevee?"

"Eevee has the ability Adaptibility. Adaptability increases the power of an attack by 50% if the move is the same type of one of the pokemon in the battle."

"You mean a water-type attack like Water Gun would work twice as well if Eevee was fighting a water-type?"

"Well yeah, but Eevee can't learn Water Gun," Riley said with a smile. "And all 8 of Eevee's evolutions – we call them eevelutions – have different abilities."

"8 evolutions! Wow, I didn't know there were that many. Which one are you going to turn evolve it into?" Emmett asked.

"You sound like my mom," Riley said, rolling his eyes. "I don't know yet. I've only just started training it and there are so many choices. I'll have to think about it a long time before I decide."

"I guess you're right," Emmett said.

At that moment there was a loud, mournful cry. Everyone in the dining hall fell silent at the eerie sound. Suddenly, Cubone came running into the room. At first Emmett thoguht it was scared of the noise, then he realized that Cubone was _making _the noise. It's cry was echoing through it's skull and making it sound creepy.

"Hey!" Emmett said, surprised as Cubone grabbed ahold of his leg. "What's wrong?"

"Bone Bone Bone!" Cubone cried, clutching his leg tightly.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it woke up and got scared when you weren't in the room," Riley said, looking at Cubone curiously.

"What, you speak Pokemon, too?" Emmett joked, stroking Cubone's skull to try to calm it.

"Not exactly," Riley said with a laugh. "I just have a knack for it."

"Well I didn't leave you," Emmett said to the Cubone. "I just came to eat. Are you hungry?"

"Bone," Cubone sniffled, nodding its head.

Emmett went and got Cubone some poke chow. When he returned Riley had let his Eevee out of its pokeball to meet Cubone. The Pokemon seemed to like one another. Eevee circled Cubone like a cat, rubbing on it. Cubone sat down and watched the Eevee, clapping its hands and laughing delightedly.

"I'll get some poke chow for my Eevee, too," Riley said.

The two pokemon ate side by side. Cubone sat and picked up its food with its hand one piece at a time and slipped it under its skull helmet to eat.

"It eats like a human," Riley said, fascinated. "I didn't know Cubone did that."

"Maybe it comes from being raised by humans from such a young age," Emmett suggested. "It was just a baby when the professor got it."

"Why did he catch a baby pokemon?" Riley asked. "Pokemon should be raised by their parents until they are old enough to take care of themselves."

"He didn't catch it," Emmett snapped. "He rescued it. Its mother died."

"Oh I'm sorry...I thought that was just a fairytale," Riley said.

"What fairy tale?"

"Well the pokedex mentions Cubone as wearing the skull of its dead mother, right?" Riley said. "Well it's talking about a Cubone whose mother was killed by Team Rocket a long time ago in Lavendar Town at the Pokemon Tower... You didn't think _all _Cubones wore their dead mother's skulls, did you?"

"Uh...no. I guess I thought it was specific to this Cubone," Emmett said, looking down at the pokemon. It didn't seem to be paying them any attention. Cubone was more absorbed in watching the way Eevee ate. Cubone gave it a try, getting on all fours and leaning its head over its food bowl. Its skull got in the way though and Cubone toppled over, scattering food everywhere.

"Wait so if it's just a legend – where do Cubones get their skull helmets and bone clubs?" Emmett asked.

"No one knows for sure but it's assuemd they are passed down through generations. That's why some of them are darker-colored than others, because they're older."

Emmett looked at his Cubone. It's skull and bone club were sparkling white. Emmett wondered how long it had been since the Cubone's mother had died. Did the pokemon even have any memory of her? Emmett could remmeber his mtoher's face clearly. He could remember going to the beach with her and Kaye and their pokemon...

"Hello? Anybody home?" Riley said, waving his hand in front of Emmett's face.

"Oh sorry," Emmett said. Hwe had not realized Riley was still talking.

"That's okay. I was _saying _maybe we couild team up for a while? I'd love to observe your Cubone some more," Riley siad. "And a jouirney is always better with a companion. Pokemon are great, but they can't talk."

Emmett thought about it. He'd always imagined traveling alone with his pokemon. But Riley was nice and he _did _seem to know a lot about pokemon. Emmett decided he'd be lucky to have him.

"Sounds like a good idea," Emmett said with a smile.

"Great! When were you planning on leaving?"

"Well if Cubone feels better tomorrow I was going to double back for a bit and battle the trainers I passed earlier...and maybe stock up on some berries."

"Can I tag along?"

"Sure. Maybe we'll even get to have a double battle."

"That'd be great! Eevee could use the experience points."

"Cubone too," Emmett said with a nod.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Battling Eevee**

The next morning Emmett woke up early. The sun hadn't even come up yet. Cubone was still snoring away on the bottom bunk.

He tried to give Kaye a call but she didn't answer. He figured she was still asleep, so he tried Professor Ash instead. He answered immediately.

"Good morning, Emmett," he said. "I'm glad to see you made it safely to the city. Did you have any trouble in the forest?"

"Not really. I caught a pidgey. We're going back into the forest to train and level up a bit before we continue – oh and I made a friend. His name is Riley."

"Riley Robinson? That's great, Emmett. I'm glad you two are friends. He'll be good company for you and you can help each other along. That's one of the best parts about journeys, the friends you make along the way."

"Yeah. I actually had a question for you," Emmett said, glancing behind him to make sure Cubone was still asleep. "What happened to Cubone's mother?"

"Ah, I wondered when you would ask that. The truth is, no one knows for sure. A man in Lavender Town found Cubone outside the Pokemon Tower, next to its mother's skeleton. No one knows how Marowak died, but I took Cubone and raised it from a baby. I bottle-fed it and tried to teach it what I could, but it needs someone who can spend more time with it – it needs you."

"Lavender Town? Isn't that where the legend takes place?"

"Yes, it was quite the coincidence," Ash said.

"Maybe it wasn't a coincidence. Maybe Team Rocket is back," Emmett said.

"No way," Ash declared. "Team Rocket is gone for good. I helped defeat them."

Behind him, Cubone started to stir so Emmett quickly said goodbye to the professor and turned to see his pokemon rubbing sleep from its eyes.

"Good morning Cubone. Are you feeling better?"

"Cu," the Pokemon said affirmatively. It's leg was totally healed.

"Do you want to do some training this morning? Riley and Eevee are coming."

"Cubone, Cu," Cubone said, hopping onto the floor. It went to the door and tried to reach the doorknob.

"Wait for me!" Emmett said with a laugh.

They found Riley and Eevee in the dining hall eating breakfast.

"Good morning! How's Cubone?" Riley asked.

"Alot better," Emmett replied.

"Great! Do you want to have a battle after breakfast, just for fun?" Riley asked.

"Sure, sounds good. We can battle out back, then head to the Poke Mart before we go back into the forest."

Riley and Emmett both ate quickly, excited about their first battle of the day. They ended up having to wait on their pokemon to finish eating. It seemed to take forever. When Eevee finally finished its last bite it stood up and stretched. Cubone mimicked Eevee but again its skull got in the way. So it stretched its arms up instead, then down to touch its toes.

"Seriously?" Emmett said to the pokemon. "Are you ready yet? I thought you were excited for a battle?"

"Cu," Cubone said indifferently.

"Eee," Eevee said, laughing.

Emmett followed Riley outside the pokemon center and they went out back where there was a large open area for pokemon battles.

The young trainers and their pokemon faced off at opposite ends of the field.

"Alright, I guess I'll make the first move," Riley said. "Eevee, use tackle!"

"Cubone dodge it and hit it with your bone club!" Emmett called.

The trainers watched in anticipation as Eevee bounded towards Cubone. Emmett thought Cubone was going to let Eevee hit it but at the last minute Cubone dodged out of the way. It didn't hit Eevee, but the two proceeded to chase one another around the battle field, playing tag.

"Come on, you two, this is a pokemon battle!" Riley called. "Not playtime."

Eevee stopped abruptly and Cubone slammed into it, sending them rolling across the grass. The pokemon disentangled themselves and faced one another again. Eevee growled menacingly and Cubone looked at Emmett nervously.

"Headbutt it," Emmett said, hoping his pokemon would listen to him.

Eevee growled again and Cubone lowered its head. Then it lunged at Eevee, knocking the small pokemon backwards. Eevee shook the grass off its fur and stood up.

"Eeeveeee!" it cried, lunging at Cubone. It tackled Cubone to the ground and Cubone groaned. It tried to push Eevee off but the small pokemon kept it pinned to the ground.

"Cu," Cubone said to Emmett helplessly.

"Guess that makes me the winner," Riley said triumphantly.

"Are you sure you can't push it off, Cubone?" Emmett asked helplessly. "It's just an Eevee."

"Eev!" the Eevee cried and tackled Emmett to the ground.

"Ow!" Emmett exclaimed. The small pokemon sat on his chest, yelling at him in pokemon.

"Sorry about that," Riley said, pulling Eevee off of him. "It doesn't always listen. I guess once I get my first badge it might listen better."

"Yeah I have that problem sometimes too," Emmett said, looking down at Cubone. "I can't wait for my first gym battle!"

"You'll probably have it easier than me," Riley said. "Using a ground-type like Cubone against the Pewter Gym's rock-type pokemon is a sure bet. Using a normal-type like Eevee is going to be hard."

"That's why we need to train as much as possible before we get to Pewter City," Emmett said confidently.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Battling in the Forest**

The two left the pokemon center, Cubone and Eevee following, and went to the Poke Mart. The clerk was just unlocking the door.

"You boys are here early," the clerk said with a chuckle. "You must be new pokemon trainers."

"Yes sir," Emmett said, following the clerk back inside. "We're going back into Viridian Forest to train. Can I get about three potions and an antidote please?"

"Sure but if you boys are heading into the forest for training you might need more than that," the clerk advised.

"We're going to find some berries and stock up. My Aunt Kaye taught me," Emmett explained.

"Oh you're Kaye's nephew! I remember you now. You've come with her into town when she sells her herbal remedies before," the clerk said.

"Yes sir," Emmett replied.

"Well I hope you boys stay safe out there," the clerk said as Emmett paid for his purchases. "I'd keep your pokemon out of their pokeballs if I were you. It deters wild pokemon from attacking you."

"Cubone won't go in its pokeball anyway," Emmett said, looking down at his pokemon, which was reaching for a lollipop.

"No Cubone," Emmett said, picking up Cubone so it wouldn't steal anything. "Maybe this evening, if we have a good day of training, okay?"

"Cu Cu," Cubone said, staring down at the candy.

The boys and their pokemon left the store and headed south back into Viridian Forest. Almost immediately they ran into another trainer, one who Emmett had run past the day before.

"Hey I remember you! Is your Cubone okay?" the boy asked.

"Yes, he's fine," Emmett said, feeling embarrassed that he had overreacted.

"Good, that means you can battle!" the boy said, grabbing a pokeball off his belt. "Come on out, spearow!"

He tossed the pokeball into the air and in a flash of red light, a small bird pokemon appeared.

"Are you ready Cubone?" Emmett asked his pokemon.

"Cu," Cubone said determinedly. Cubone faced the spearow and Emmett thought quickly about what attack to use first.

"Cubone, use bone club," Emmett said quickly.

Cubone rushed at the spearow, waving its bone weapon in the air. As Cubone got closer, the spearow took flight and hovered out of Cubone's reach.

"Bone!" Cubone said, frustratedly trying to reach the bird with its weapon.

"Sorry Emmett, ground-type attacks don't work on flying-type pokemon," Riley said.

"You couldn't have told me that sooner?" Emmett asked as spearow flew towards Cubone and used Peck. Cubone's helmet kept the blow from being too bad.

"You should use a normal-type attack, like tackle," Riley advised.

"Okay Cubone, use tackle," Emmett said.

Cubone rushed at the bird quickly and tackled it headfirst. Spearow took a blow to the side before it could fly out of reach. It dropped to the ground, wounded.

"It doesn't look like spearow can fly now," Riley said.

"That doesn't mean he can't battle," the trainer said. "Spearow, you use tackle, too."

Spearow hopped towards Cubone but Cubone was faster. It tackled it without being told, knocking the little bird back to the ground. Spearow made no move to get up.

"Oh no," the trainer said, returning spearow to its pokeball. "I guess I lost."

"That was a good battle," Emmett said, shaking the boy's hand.

The boy paid him and they continued deeper into the forest. It wasn't long before they came across a father and son bug catcher duo who agreed to a double battle.

The father sent out a Beedrill and the son sent out a Metapod. Emmett chose Cubone and Riley's Eevee immediately bounded to its side.

"I think we should focus our attacks on Beedrill. Metapod isn't much of a threat, we can team up and take it out," Riley whispered. Emmett nodded in agreement.

"Cubone use headbutt on Beedrill," Emmett commanded.

"Eevee you use tackle on Beedrill," Riley said.

"Hey, why are you ganging up on Beedrill?" the dad asked. "Beedrill use Poison Jab on that Eevee ."

"Metapod, use Harden, raise your defense while you can," the son said.

"That's smart," Riley said with a nod.

Eevee and Cubone attacked at the same time, knocking Beedrill to the ground. When Beedrill tried to jab Eevee with its stinger, Cubone jumped in front of Eevee so that Beedrill's stinger hit his skull helmet and bounced off.

"Way to go, Cubone!" Riley cheered.

"Yeah, Cubone, that was awesome!" Emmett said. "Use headbutt again!"

Cubone charged the Beedrill and knocked it out with one more hit.

"Eevee use tackle on Metapod," Riley told his pokemon.

Eevee slammed into the bug pokemon but the Metapod barely moved. Cubone rushed to Eevee's side.

"Metapod, use String Shot," the boy commanded.

The Metapod let loose a spray of silk, covering Eevee and Cubone. The two pokemon became stuck to one another. Cubone tried to use its bone club to break free but only succeeded in getting its club stuck in the silk.

"If my Eevee was older it could bite its way through," Riley said.

"I think we underestimated the Metapod," Emmett said to him. "Our pokemon can't battle all stuck together like that. They could hurt themselves or each other. We'll have to concede."

"Okay," Riley said disapointedly. "Looks like they win."

"At least we beat the Beedrill and got experience from that," Emmett said as they paid the fee for losing.

"More experience than we would have gotten from the Metapod," Riley agreed. "Eevee return."

Eevee disappeared in a flash of red light and returned to its pokeball. When he let it out, it was free of the Metapod's silk. Emmett knelt beside Cubone and pulled the sticky stuff off.

"Have y'all seen any trees with berries on them?" Riley asked the father they had just battled.

"Yes, a little ways down that path," the man replied, pointing to an overgrown path that Emmett hadn't noticed before. "But if you go that way, look out for bug pokemon. They hide in thick grass like that."

"Thanks," Riley said. Once Emmett finished cleaning Cubone off, they headed off down the path.


End file.
